The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Kailash Chand Mangla, promoter of Sukriti Foods Pvt Ltd, in connection with the alleged adulteration and fraudulent supply of ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which administers the Tirupati temple. Mangla was arrested by the ED’s Hyderabad Zonal Office on September 17 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was subsequently produced before a special PMLA court in Visakhapatnam, which sent him to judicial custody.
According to the ED, fraudulent ghee supplies to the TTD between 2019 and 2024 were worth around ₹230 crore, with approximately ₹96 crore worth of allegedly adulterated ghee manufactured by Mangla. The agency alleges that he helped procure adulterants, manufacture the product at his factory and coordinate its supply through other entities while creating records to make the transactions appear legitimate.
What The ED Alleges
The ED said its investigation found that the substance supplied to the TTD as “Agmark Special Grade Cow Ghee” was allegedly manufactured using refined palm oil, palmolein, palm kernel oil and chemicals including MG-90, monoglycerides, Myvacet Soft 400 and acetic acid ester. The agency has described Mangla as one of the alleged co-conspirators and said he facilitated the procurement of these substances and manufactured adulterated ghee at his factory premises.
It further alleged that he coordinated supplies through entities including Sri Vyshnavi Dairy Specialities Pvt Ltd, Malganga Milk & Agro Products Pvt Ltd and A.R. Dairy Foods. The ED also claimed that Mangla created and maintained false purchase and sales records involving ghee and refined palm oil to conceal the alleged use of adulterants and give the appearance of genuine production. “He also coordinated the supply of adulterated ghee through various front entities,” the agency said.
The ED’s latest action follows the arrest of Vipin Jain, promoter and director of Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk, in the same investigation. The agency’s money-laundering probe stems from an FIR registered at Tirupati East police station, which included allegations of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and corruption in the procurement and supply of ghee to the TTD. Mangla’s arrest therefore marks another significant development in a case that has been under investigation across multiple agencies.
How The Case Unfolded
The controversy surrounding Tirupati laddu prasadam intensified in September 2024 after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and other state leaders alleged that animal fat had been found in ghee used for preparing the laddus during the previous government. The allegations triggered a major political and public controversy, particularly because the laddus are considered sacred prasadam by devotees. However, subsequent findings have added important context to the case.
A CBI-led Special Investigation Team (SIT), which examined the alleged adulteration, reported that laboratory testing did not establish the presence of animal fat in the samples examined. Its investigation instead pointed towards the alleged use of palm-based oils and synthetic ingredients in what was supplied as ghee.
The distinction is important because the latest ED allegations concern the alleged manufacture and fraudulent supply of adulterated ghee, rather than establishing the earlier claims about animal fat. The ED has estimated the total alleged fraudulent supplies to the TTD between 2019 and 2024 at ₹230 crore, while attributing around ₹96 crore worth of the alleged adulterated ghee to Mangla. The investigation is continuing, and the allegations made by the ED remain subject to the legal process. Mangla’s arrest and subsequent judicial custody do not, by themselves, establish guilt.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The Tirupati laddu case highlights why transparency and accountability matter when public institutions handle food products that carry both financial and deep cultural significance. At the same time, allegations of wrongdoing need to be separated from established findings, particularly in a case that has already generated intense public and political debate.
A fair investigation should establish who was responsible, how the alleged supply chain operated, whether procurement safeguards were bypassed and what measures can prevent such lapses in the future. Ensuring food safety and protecting public trust should remain central while allowing the legal process to determine individual responsibility. What measures do you think can strengthen transparency and food-safety checks in the supply of products used for religious and public institutions?
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ED, Hyderabad has arrested Kailash Chand Mangla promoter of M/s Sukriti Food Pvt. Ltd. on 17.09.2026 under Section 19 of the PMLA, 2002 in connection with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) ghee adulteration case. He was produced before the Hon’ble Special Court (PMLA),… pic.twitter.com/Etpn4Qo4jH
— ED (@dir_ed) September 18, 2026
